Ann Liu Cannon
Friday, July 11, 19:30adv £19.75
Clever Rabbits is the debut album by Wiltshire born, London-based singer songwriter Ann Liu Cannon releasing on CD/LP/digital July 11th.
Discovered by BRIT Award-winning producer Ethan Johns (Paul McCartney, Kings Of Leon, Laura Marling) in the underground music scenes of Camden Town, Ann Liu Cannon was invited to his studio to record what became Clever Rabbits. Made in collaboration with Johns, Clever Rabbits is a diaristic work that channels life experience and diverse influences of Anglo-celtic folklore, sacred texts, and sonic binaries into songs that interrogate love, death and identity.
Inspired by the cross-cultural symbolism of the three rabbits, appearing in Devon’s churches and China’s caves, the Chinese idiom emblazoned on the cover art, ‘狡兔 三窟‘ (Clever rabbits need three burrows), became a mantra that engaged with her English and Chinese heritage. Ann shares, “I am English, born in the Chinese year of the rabbit, but I could neither be Chinese nor English, so I embraced a third entity. The rabbit became my mixed race emblem. But, in the continuous journey of identity, where even this third burrow constricts and limits my sense of self, I wonder if I am not a rabbit at all. This record is my journey up until that point.”
Clever Rabbits explores the limits of prescribed identity in a brave and sensitive challenge of the zeitgeist, dancing between wonky and warped folk (Clever Rabbits, Tangle), orchestral and elegant piano pieces (Jealous God, Good Submarine), and classic singer-songwriter balladry (No You Don’t, Mên-an-tol), ending in an entirely digital soundscape, questioning ‘maybe I am not a rabbit at all’ (GobbleKnoll). The recording of Clever Rabbits was caveated by the tragic loss of her father, which Ann Liu Cannon explored on her shapeshifting debut EP, CHALK. An enduring influence on her songwriting, his passing inspired Ann to start her own label, JJ Records, of which Clever Rabbits is the debut release. JJ Records endeavour to continue her fathers legacy; the intersection of community, music, and placemaking within historical and sacred architecture.
Ann Liu Cannon’s debut album Clever Rabbits is out July 11th on JJ Records.
Signed to BMG Publishing, Ann Liu Cannon is an artist showing no signs of slowing down. Ann recently sold out her first two London headline shows at Green Note and St Pancras Old Church. Her EP Chalk released in Autumn last year and featured in Spotify's editorial playlist 'Noteable' and her debut single 'Stranger in the Rain' received BBC Radio support. An incredibly talented player and vocalist, Ann opened for Beans on Toast on his 2023 UK tour, and was Lewis Ofman’s guitarist and vocalist in his live band for his 2025 tour across the US, Canada, Mexico and Europe. Ann worked with Grammy-nominated designer Mary Banas (Mitski) in creating the Clever Rabbits artwork.
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